The Snake's Garden
by Kitsune Slave
Summary: Even Snake needs love. Enter the forest child whom Oscar has mad loves for...or at least her warm cleavage. This starts before Ciel and Sebastian investigate the Circus and continues beyond that Arc. SnakeOc SnakexOc
1. Chapter 1

((This is one of two stories that have been on my mind as of late. I believe I have figured out how to start this one but the other one I'm still working on. Yes, it is a Snake x OC story and it's been on my mind for almost 1 year now. It hasn't gone away so I should probably put it down on the interwebs~.

I own nothing except for my OC. But I would cuddles Snake in a millisecond.))

Chapter 1: Meeting

The day I met him was the day my life gained a whole new meaning. No, this isn't some sappy teen romance where the girl couldn't possibly live without the boy in her life. It was just that I had been alone for so long that I actually forgot that there were other people outside of my forest.

Yes, that's right. My forest. I was in charge of it's care and surveilance until my people returned. I hadn't been given this duty but with no one else there, who would have?

Perhaps I should back up. My people are those who live in the forest, live with the forest. We have bound our souls to this earth and thereby gained abilities that many could only dream of. But with great power comes great responsibility. If the earth that we are connected with becomes injured in any way, we feel it's pain, get sick, gain scars. My mother was a very beautiful woman but her body had been riddled with scars due to her mistakes. She understood her duty but hadn't understood the ramifications of the world beyond the forest. And on the outskirts of our home, bad things had been happening.

But I digress. Hunters had entered our lands and many of our people were slaughtered by guns... bullets had blasted through our defenses of wood and vines. The only reason I had lived was by hiding. My mother told me that I was too young to fight. She was right. I was only a child. If my own mother couldn't defend herself against these invaders, what chance had I? So I waited until the warnings within the leaves died down from the winds. The scent of acrid gunpowder tickled my nose in a most unpleasant way. And I was alone to bury my fallen people and learn the lesson that was brutally taught. Guns were dangerous. I needed to get stronger with no teacher to help me.

But perhaps that was a good thing, ironically enough. My teacher before had limited me in what I learned. The forest taught me to thrive and learn my own limitations. This helped me learn how to stretch my stamina and I learned so many different things.

And then I met him.

A young man had wandered into my home. I knew the second he had stepped foot into my territory. I prepared for guns and warfare. I planned to take him down with swift efficiency and not give him the chance that the other humans had missed out on. I watched him from a safe spot and immediately noticed differences between this person and those from so long ago.

He walked with a grace that they did not have, didn't wear those clumping coverings over his feet. His chest was mostly bare and was as pale as the clouds in the sky. How odd that his hair was even whiter than that. But that wasn't the strangest thing.

He was travelling with snakes. A multitude of them on the ground, on his body.

I got closer, using the trees to move myself closer by becoming one with them and moving myself through the roots. Soon, I was downwind from him and I scented him on the air. He smelled of civilization and something wild. It was odd how such a terrible odor could seamlessly blend with one I was so very familiar with. I was close enough to see patches of scales on his flesh and gave a small gasp in surprise.

That sound was heard by his comrades and 3 of them hissed loudly, bearing their fangs. The young man stopped and looked in my direction. "Who's there? says Victor. Show yourself says Keets."

This person said things in an odd manner, changing his voice to match what I'm assuming Victor and Keets' voices sounded like. But those eyes, golden like flower pollen...I liked them. They drew me in, made me feel playful.

With a teasing smile that showed my teeth, I used the trees to move closer still, curious if his scaly friends could detect that movement now that they were aware of me. It didn't seem like it, so I spoke. "Silly person...why would I show myself to you? You could have a gun..." My voice lowered in distaste at having to speak about that terrible device of destruction.

xxxxxxxxxx

Snake spun around at the sound, his friend hissing out vulgarities due to being caught off guard. They disliked the implication that this person could have attacked at any moment. Despite being female in voice, he would take no chances. Beast had taught him how dangerous the other gender could be when angered or provoked.

"I have no guns says Wordsworth. Those things smell awful and make us feel quite ill says Emily."

His yellow eyes latched onto another pair within the trees, eyes the shade of clover in the sunlight. They were pretty to look at but unnerving when it came to being watched by faceless eyes.

"Come out, says Oscar, we won't hurt you."

A breath of hesitation came out slowly, so slowly that if it weren't for those visual orbs, he would have thought she left. And then, she stepped forward, bare feet that were encrusted with dirt lead the way into the sunlight, muscled legs that were equally as dirty followed and stretched all the way to what appeared to be a small skirt of leaves that contained wide hips. Vines made their way spiralling up her tiny mid-section to connect with a chest covering of more leaves. Small hands and slender arms, a chest that rivalled Beast's, and a face that belied her beauty in the wildest of fashions. Oscar hissed something that Emily scolded him for but Snake couldn't hear anything but the blood rushing to his ears as he looked at this mysterious creature.

Oscar, however, had other plans. He slipped off Snake's shoulder and to the ground. From there, he slithered up to the unknown woman and tilted his head at her. She looked down at him with those too-green eyes before slowly kneeling to the ground. Those pink lips opened, asking him what he wanted. Oscar hissed softly and she giggled.

Oh, that sound was bells to his ears and brought a blush to his cheeks as everything else came back into focus. The woman moved her hand down to pick the snake up and moved him closer to her, kissing the tip of his nose. Oscar had enough cheekiness to flick his tongue out at the last moment in a mock-kiss of sorts. But then the small snake fainted in his happiness, hissing something about seeing Nirvana.

She snickered before turning her eyes to Snake's and standing up. Brazenly approaching him, she handed the snake back to him, choosing to wrap Oscar around his neck. Taking a deep breath of his scent, she smiled. "No gunpowder... that's good..." She turned to walked back to the trees.

"Wait!"

xxxxxxxxx

I stopped and turned my head to look back at the young man. It made no sense. Why did he speak for the other snakes when he had such a pleasing voice for himself? I only assume that that was his voice because he didn't say "says whoever" after telling her to stop.

"...wh-what is your name? This is Snake says Emily..." The young man seemed unsure after his initial outburst. "And where are you going? says Wordsworth..."

"Home... are you lost? It is unusual for someone else to be in these woods unless they are hunters. But with no instruments of destruction..."

"We are searching for food says Keets. Joker doesn't want us hunting animals in case the meat is tainted by venom says Don. Venom doesn't ruin the meat, it adds flavor says Victor. But humans can't eat poisoned flesh says Emily." It appeared that all the snakes had something to say on the matter.

"Hmm...I am called Eden. Come, I will give you food to take back with you."

I lead him to my home, my tree where I had spent most of my life. I'm sure I only did this because he was so good at conversing. The forest spoke to me but it was difficult with not being connected to one of flesh, even if he wasn't a forest child like me. I gave him the foods that I had smoked, yes, smoked. I wasn't like a bear, I didn't hibernate in the winter but the cold did make it difficult to move around a lot. While I could survive without heat, I couldn't without food. So I made certain I had food near me and that meant smoking or drying out meat and vegetation. I used the branches that the forest allowed me to have, I did ask for permission.

It was starting to get dark so I offered to escort him to the edge of the woods. As we walked, he told me about the circus and his friends whom were so kind to him. Well, Emily, Victor, Don, and Donne all contributed to the subject but it was interesting. And made the walk go much too short for my taste. It seemed like no time at all and we were at my boundary. I could see a red and white object that Snake had identified as their performance tent. There were many smaller, less colorful tents around it that had to be for housing the performers and equipment, food, and such.

"...I guess this is goodbye... to all of you..." I was stalling, why was I stalling? This made it that much more difficult to part ways. In the past, I would have scoffed at the idea of enjoying the company of another. He wasn't like me but he wasn't like non-forest people either. He was shy and spoke in other voices and talked for his snake friends and seemed too sweet to be real...

But it wasn't just me, he was stalling to. Nodding as he looked at the tents and then back at me. His snakes were hissing up a storm, apparently talking too fast for him to translate. Oscar had woken up by then and looked around. He moved himself off Snake's shoulders and dove...at me...and into my cleavage. I blushed softly, eyes wide. As sheltered as I had been and antisocial as I am now, even I knew that this wasn't exactly appropriate behavior. But it stopped all the hissing and had Snake staring at me with wide eyes. He must have been waiting for me to get upset. But I wasn't. I took it as an indicator that Oscar didn't want me to leave. Or that I felt warm and he was cold. That didn't matter.

Gold orbs met clover and a question was asked only on the wind. No words were necessary. He had my answer as the wind shifted for only that moment and he carefully took my hand. No words were spoken as he lead me to the circus camp and into a world that I knew next to nothing about. The only surity I had was that Snake would be by my side and I would never be alone again.


	2. Circus

Chapter 2: Circus

There were many people within the boundaries of the circus. Nameless faces that didn't really stand out. However, one group did. Snake lead me to this single group as Oscar rode within my cleavage, his small head poking out from between my breasts. I had gotten used to him being there so I did nothing to remove him.

"Oi, Snake! We sent ya fer food, not to gather some young chippy! Do ya think we're gonna eat her?!" A small angry boy was positively fuming at the stranger before him. This was Peter, as he was introduced Of course, just by looking at the people around him, I doubted that I was the most strange.

A young girl beside him giggled and waved childishly. "But Brother, surely Snake had a good reason to bring her here. After all, his snakes seem to like her~" A tall, muscular bald man silently nodded from his place by the two twins. Wendy was the girl and the bald man was called Jumbo. It seemed apparent that the twins and this man stuck together.

Snake nodded as well, holding out a sack of food. "This is Eden, says Emily. She gave me food and wants to join the circus, says Keets."

That wasn't entirely true. Honestly, I didn't know what a circus was. It seemed like a wandering village to me. But that big colorful tent must have been for something important. Perhaps for their meetings? At any rate, I was only there for Snake. I was tired of being alone and he felt so nice, seemed very good.

A tall man with orange hair and an interesting skeletal right hand came forward, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, is that right? Hmm, well, she seems pretty wild. Nice eyes...costume could use a bit of work. I say we put her to the test 'fore we make any rash decisions. So, what can be do?" Joker, which was his name, seemed rather joyful, grinning at the newcomer. His name was quite appropriate.

I eyed him wearily. What could I do that would be useful to them? I looked towards Snake, unsure about what to say when I spotted someone juggling balls. Performance...this circus was for entertainment? I smiled, happy that mystery was solved. I turned back to look at the man and told him I could dance, had excellent balance, and could cook using the foods of the land. Hey, everyone needed a good cook and I could help them out by feeding them the plants I could grow. I doubted these people were able to grow their own food if they traveled place to place.

The orange haired man laughed, nodding his approval. "Aye, aye~ so since her smiles seem top notch, how's about we kill two birds with one stone?" I didn't understand his odd phrase but I followed him to a pair of trees that had a wire attached to the trunks, linking them together. "Alrighty, we use this high wire for practice. Get up there and show us what ya can do. Don't forget to dance while yer up there and no falling! We don't have a net for this one."

I turned my clover eyes to the trees and smiled. Besides for the wire, this was what I did to pass time at home. Reaching up, a branch lowered down for me to take hold. It moved up, lifting me into the air and putting me up in the air by about 30 feet. My leaf skirt grew in the back and the front grew enough to keep me covered from the eyes of the group watching below. Oscar hissed for me to be careful and I nodded to him. But I was fine. What was dangerous in this situation was nothing more than child's play to me.

And so I danced, swaying and moving my body to an unknown beat that I could hear in the winds. I used my superior agility, dexterity, and bold movements to give them a show. At one point, I purposely stepped off the wire and used my calloused hand to grab hold of it. I winced at the pain but did not let go. Instead, I twisted my body so I would pop back up onto the wire. And I landed, nimble as a ferocious wild cat.

Most of the group below clapped their applause. The youthful boy crossed his arms and scowled, seemingly determined to not show his true feelings. A older young man clapped but was gazing at a curly haired lady, commenting how "big sis" could have done that. The young man had black and blond hair and carried many sharp daggers, as was his namesake.

However "big sis" was still all frowns and narrow eyes. Her arms were crossed under her ample breasts, hips tilted in a way that showed much attitude. This was Beast, an animal tamer who was as strong as she was beautiful. She also wore the strangest, tightest clothes I had ever seen. All strings and short skirts that did nothing to disguise her body. I had no right to say anything but I had lived alone for so long that I didn't think about bearing my flesh. Besides, the material of the clothes looked odd, like leather. I used plants for my clothing. Anyway...

I didn't understand what I did wrong. Was it because I winced and showed an expression that wasn't all smiles? I decided to confront her about what was wrong and willed a free branch to guide me to the ground. I stepped off it and whispered a gentle word of thanks as I approached the curly haired female.

"Did I do something wrong? You seem unhappy with my performance…"

She glared at me with her ruby eyes before turning to Joker. "She's filthy. There's no way we can let her perform like that." She turned her eyes to the young girl. "Wendy, grab her. We're going to the stream to wash up." She didn't bother to wait to see if Wendy did as she ordered. Instead, she ducked into a small tent and came out with cloths, bars of colorful soap that smelled good, and larger cloths to dry with.

Wendy had taken hold of my hand and I noticed the differences in size and color. Of course, she had some dirt on her pale skin but nothing compared to my own. And it was so small compared to mine, it almost fit in the palm of my hand. The warmth of that small hand filled a spot in my chest.

Looking at Snake as I was dragged away by the strong girl, I figured that he must feel this way about this group of people too. They were warm, no gunpowder could be scented on their clothes, they seemed to just accept me for what I was (after all, they hadn't yelled out when the trees helped me). For the first time in a long time, I felt like I belonged in a family. Snake's family of normal humans, snakes, and a troupe of performers who all felt so good to me. At last, I found my home. And I blushed softly at the swelling hope in my chest.

The stream rushed quietly to and fro, rocks on the bottom sparkled in the water. We traveled down the water's edge and found the designated washing portion. While the two circus performers removed clothes and accessories (including a fake leg that belonged to Beast), I set about reducing my leaves and vines. I was so much a part of this earth that I had learned to use plants to make clothes for myself. Usually it wasn't much more than a simple covering of leaves and vines but I had made other clothes out of flowers, the petals finer than any silk or satin that I had ever come across.

The three of us got into the water and Wendy and her companion got to work, scrubbing at my body before washing themselves. I had no modesty, knew that Oscar had gotten quite the eyeful and was currently passed out on a warm rock next to the fake leg. I did make sure that I washed what I could reach on my own but they seemed Hell-bent on washing my dirty feet and hands, paying close mind to my face. Well, I had a feeling I had to get used to staying clean while I travelled with the circus. Guess that was my burden to bear...


	3. The Results of a Bath

Chapter 3: The Results of a Bath

Snake had been listening to the male members of the first troupe. Joker was, as always, full of laughter and Peter was griping about having yet another mouth to feed. But apparently Dagger wanted a little guy talk, whatever that was, and was trying to get him to, well, talk about something happening between him and Eden. But what was there to tell?

She was strong, no doubt about that. Her eyes were so vibrant and green that they could be seen from the shadows. Her lithe body was perfect for being in the circus. Oscar liked her a lot. And she smelled wild, like earth and plants. That was what really attracted his attention. If all it took was a beautiful face and a lusty body, he would have been as infatuated with Beast as Dagger was. Luckily, he wasn't because that was a fight he could live without.

Hearing the sound of chattering females, Snake turned to look in their direction and froze. Wendy and Beast were a common sight fresh from the spring. They liked smelling fresh and clean. But the wild girl who had been encrusted in dirt and had leaves, vines, and flowers in her dusty hair- that girl was now clean. And she was beautiful. Skin lightly tanned, hair the color of caramel and free of knots and dirt.. and her clothes had changed too. Instead of a skirt of small green leaves, she now wore a few large dark green leaves that went to her mid thigh, a breast covering that looked like bluebells, and a long sleeved bright violet tail coat that held in the front and had yellow stripes in the front and back like iris petals. Her feet were still bare, her toenails and fingernails a luscious shade of green.

xxxXxxx

Eden smiled at the men whom she would be working with. It seemed to be unanimous that a good scrub was what she needed to really shine. But Snake had yet to say a word...or blink, even. He appeared frozen where he stood, eyes fixated on her and mouth slightly open. The forest child hoped that the shock he was going through was a good one.

Moving over to him, she stood before him, tall and proud but out of her comfort zone since she didn't have a healthy coating of dirt on her body. Feeling it between her toes did help with any anxiety she would be experiencing if she'd let the girls convince her to wear shoes. Tilting her head, she asked, "So...are these clothes more suitable for performing?"

He seemed to snap out of it and nodded. "Y-you look beautiful in anything...says m-me...and everyone..." Dozens of snakes popped their heads out and slithered over. She could hear all the praise from them, Emily expressing her jealousy at not being able to wear the flower petals the way that she could. Even Oscar came out from between her breasts and nodded, hissing his encouragement. She smiled happily, glad that she had gotten this right. Matching colors was one thing, getting the right style was quite another, according to Beast.

Joker grinned as he invaded their space, snakes hissing as they moved away from his feet. "So, Eden, I got an idea~ if yer willin' ta listen?"

The forest child nodded and gave him her undivided attention. By the end of his spiel, she tilted her head. "So I'm going to be sharing Snake's timeslot in the show? But I have yet to practice with him. And it's more than enough that he is here with me. I don't want him to feel slighted..."

Snake took her hand and shook his head. "We are fine with sharing, says Emily... Joker makes a good point, says Wordsworth. Let's train together and we'll see if this will work, says Keets..."

Eden looked Snake in the eye and nodded, moving closer. "Alright...if you're sure..."

Joker held up his skeletal hand and waved it around. "That's wha' I'm talkin' abou'! Yer perfect t'gether! Snake can fill ye in and ye can practice until yer acts're perfect as ye are!" He walked away, declaring that the lineup would be adjusted and that they needed to be ready in a couple of weeks when they arrived in London. Until then, Snake would have to train her in their new joint act and perform his solo act.

xxxXxxx

Night fell on the circus and everyone retreated to their own tents. Eden sighed as she try to lay on the cot they set up for her, despite how much she insisted that she didn't need one as long as they were near trees. Apparently there weren't any decent trees in London so she would need one anyway. But they were so hard...how did anyone sleep like this?

A feel of scales and a small hiss let her know that Oscar was once again with her. She sighed and sat up, taking Oscar with her. "I have no idea how humans can sleep on these things...but since I won't be sleeping any time soon, let's get you back to Snake..." She left the tent she was in and searched for Snake's. She'd been warned about it from Joker so she at least knew the direction to head in.

At last, she arrived to a tent full of hissing. Entering the tent, she spotted Snake who seemed very surprised by her intrusion. Figuring it was a territory thing, she took a step back and lowered Oscar to the ground. "I am sorry... I could not sleep and Oscar... I did not mean to invade your territory so hastily."

Snake watched her with those beautiful yellow eyes. Those eyes that made her want to curl up next to him. That gave her an idea. Blinking at him, she took a chance. "May I sleep with you...?"

He made a choking noise and fell off his cot in shock. it was covered in blankets and some of them had gone with him onto the floor. He stammered, blushing deeply.

When it sounded like he was going to reject her, she looked at Emily. "I'm not trying to solicit myself. I just...can't sleep in my tent. I've never slept in a cot and I don't think I will ever be able to. Plus...I've been alone for so long, now that I've found someone so similar to myself, I don't want to be alone anymore...Even in my sleep..."

The female snake seemed to accept her answer and hissed at the flustered Snake. He blushed even more as he nodded silently. He would let her into his bed...sleep next to him. But only for tonight...


	4. First Performance

Chapter 4: First Performance

A couple months had passed and the weather had gotten colder. The Noah's Ark Circus had arrived at the London outskirts and pitched their tents. During the months, Eden had slept in Snake's tent every night-he hadn't the heart to turn her away and it was quite a bit warmer to share the space. So they no longer pitched an individual tent for her. After all, it would be better suited for any new recruits.

Eden stood on a platform that was on a tall wooden pole. Dancing and swaying in the breeze, unleashing flowers to rain down upon the excited guests of the circus, she smiled down upon everything the light touched. It was only when she detected the presence of something quite threatening that she frowned. Stepping off the platform, she dove towards the presence, a grown man with wine-red eyes and dressed all in black. A young boy stood beside him, blue hair and an eyepatch covering one of his sapphire eyes.

The man looked up at Eden and pushed the boy behind him just as a vine wrapped around her waist. It stopped her from crashing into the two but that was not her purpose. Flowers of red and large sharp leaves, thorns pointed in defensive and offensive purposes surrounded her in a display of territorial behavior that she had learned long ago. Face not even 2 feet away, body suspended in midair thanks to the vine around her body, she glared into those wine eyes with her clover orbs.

He appeared bored, as if waiting for something. Her display did absolutely nothing to deter him. Yes, this man was dangerous but he didn't smell normal. He smelled...tainted, evil, like blood... Now that she was closer, she could identify his etherworldliness. He was not human...he was a demon.

Eden had seen demons before at such a young age that she vaguely recognized that he was one. But the demons her family had pointed out were there for a specific reason-to feed on humans. She only remembered a little bit about demons and the way they fed. It had something to do with a specific human. She looked down at the young boy that the demon had pushed behind him. Clearly they had some sort of contract.

Without breaking eye contact with either of them, she lowered herself onto the ground, her bare feet touching the chilled earth. She withdrew her territorial display slowly and continued looking back and forth between the two. A dangerous duo...she could fight but she did not know if she could win. So she did the best thing she could think of and looked at the human boy. Lowering onto one knee, she addressed him in a whisper. "Please...do not kill anyone on the circus grounds..."

The boy looked at her sternly but nodded discreetly.

Eden gave him a smile before reaching into her hair and pulling out a small blue blossom. She gently tucked it behind his ear and stood up. "Enjoy the show, sir..." She gave the demon one last look and nodded to him before turning away and heading off to find Snake.

As expected, he was nearby and Oscar dove at her, hissing profanities that disclosed how worried he was. The earth child smiled at him and gently kissed his head before looking at Snake. "Everything is okay. We need to get ready for the show..." She took his hand and lead the way to the practice tent. This performance felt different than the ones she'd seen in the last months. But as long as everyone ended up okay, she wouldn't split hairs.

xxxX Sebastian's POV Xxxx

The demon butler watched the circus performer walk away, a slight smirk on his face. The young master had removed the blue flower from behind his ear and looked at it in wonder. It was the perfect chance to tease his young lord.

"Do you believe in magic, my lord?"

The young man scowled, narrowing his single blue eye at the older man. Tossing the flower onto the ground, he replied sternly, "Do not talk to me with such impertinence. And what was with that woman anyway? She talked to me as if...she knew what you were..." He walked forward, fully expecting Sebastian to follow him. "Tell me what you know about her, Sebastian," he ordered.

The demon man smiled and waited until they were in the noisy circus tent. "She smells of Earth. She's not completely human but she's not demon. If I'm correct... she's an earth child."

"Which means?"

"Earth children are humans who have bound their bodies to the very earth you walk on."

"Go on. I'm assuming that she's similar to you?"

Sebastian smirked with a shake of his head. "No, my lord. She does not consume souls to live, she cannot make your wishes come true with a single command. And there is no contract mark. It is simply that she is one with the earth that she claims as her own. Typically, they stay in the forest of her birth."

Ciel nodded, sitting down. "But since she is here, she must have abandoned her home. Hmm, we should keep an eye on her... Perhaps she could become a pawn in this game of mine."

xxxX Eden's POV Xxxx

Yes, the performance was different, her first one ever. While Snake danced with her, snakes mingled with her vines and flowers as they grew before the audience's very eyes. Cries of wonder and claps of joy sounded as the two performed with such perfection that it was amazing that none of the snakes were stepped on. Perhaps amazing was not the right word- they had practiced the steps and there was a large degree of trust that had formed in the months they trained..

xxxX Time Skip Xxxx

The last performance was Beast and the tiger Betty. The crack of the whip had a bad effect on Eden so she left to go check the perimeter. The trees were more sluggish during the late fall/early winter months but they still could tell her what was going on around them. She kept everyone safe by serveillance and protecting the circus by ways of her plants. Breathing in the night air, she listened and responded in ways that only the trees spoke.

Time passed and she opened her eyes and Snake was next to her, glaring at someone who had encroached on their territory. She looked the way he was looking and saw the wine-eyed man being threatened by a large venomous snake who was draped around Snake's shoulders. The man simply smiled and apologized before leaving.

Eden stood up and took Snake's hand, kissing his cheek before kissing the large snake, Victor if she guessed right. "Thank you for waiting. And Victor, thank you for protecting the tents. We should go get food... then get some rest. I'm sure Joker and the others were pleased with our performance tonight..."

Snake gently squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "Yes...says Victor. We shall eat together." The snakes around them vanished into the darkness to search for their own meals as the two circus performers headed off to the mess tent to eat their fill.

Over the last couple of months, she'd been able to help them with their food gathering. By gathering, she would simply grow the plants, herbs, spices that they needed and then bring the plants back to their seed-state. It was a very useful and even Peter acknowledged her as more than another mouth to feed. His exact words were, "Well, look at that! Seems the little chippy has a damn good Green Thumb. Guess she's not such a burden after all."

Once fed, they went to their tent and laid on Snake's blanketed cot, enjoying the warmth that they would miss if either one of them weren't there. Winter was terrible when alone but with someone else, they could sleep without shivering for survival. And their scents helped them sleep quite easily. After so long, it would be more difficult to sleep without one another. That left them open to teasing but since they didn't do anything more than sharing warmth and slumber, all they could do was blush at the implications.

"Good night, Eden...says all of us..."

"Sleep sweetly, Snake, Oscar, Emily, Victor, Keats, Wordsworth, Dan, Donne... Webster... Goethe... Bron-te..."

Snake smiled and held Eden close. It appeared that she had fallen asleep as she was wishing everyone goodnight.

((If there are any errors, I do apologize. I have done my best to keep any grammatical grievances to a minimum.))


	5. Intruders Join the Circus

Chapter 5: Intruders Join the Circus

The next day was...odd. It didn't start as such but the trees were whispering that something was coming, something scary and powerful. Eden was checking the perimeter on foot and enjoying the rare rays of sunshine, her usual dress of green leaves and vines around her body. England wasn't very sunny and it was winter which made her feel a bit sluggish. A stranger had already appeared but the forest still buzzed. And then she saw it...or more precisely, them. The demon and the young boy with blue-black hair. This time, the boy wasn't dressed in such fine clothing. Obviously, this was a disguise to intrude on the circus.

As the two got closer, she stood her ground, the flowers she wore in her hair turned to a vibrant red to express her unspoken warning. That didn't stop the demon and boy until they were 5 feet away. Now it was a stand off/stare down.

"You promised not to kill anyone on circus grounds..." she whispered softly, green eyes gazing into his sapphire.

The boy narrowed his visible eye and tilted his head. "I have."

"The promise still holds..."

"Only if you answer our questions when we make inquiries."

Eden nodded and her flowers turned back to yellow. "I have nothing to hide. Ask your questions." She didn't trust them but as long as the promise was kept, she wouldn't fight them.

The tall demon cleared his throat and took a step forward. "Our discussion will have to wait until after we have obtained clearance into the circus. If you would please lead the way to Joker so my young master may have his try-out? I have already been guarenteed a spot in the circus by Joker as of last night."

"Sebastian, do not call me that when we are in the presence of the other members. I will come up with a name when it comes to the introductions."

The forest child waited until they were done speaking before she lead the way. Really, she didn't see what it mattered-names were simply that, something to call someone else. Something that could be forgotten over time. The circus accepted her name as Eden, claiming it was perfect for her-why it was perfect, she did not know. But she was sure that Joker would give these two stage names that were perfect for them.

Soon, she came across Snake. He didn't look very happy to see the handsome butler behind her. Wordsworth hissed from Snake's arm and Oscar leaped from the top of his shoulder and into her cleavage, obviously staking his claim. Eden chuckled softly and approached Snake. She gently pet Wordsworth's head, giving him a kiss. "No worries, my friend. These two are not intruders. I am told that Joker wants the older man to join the circus. The little one wishes to follow."

Her pale friend took her hand and pulled her along the path to the main tent where Joker and a few of the others were. She could feel Sebastian and the boy following along behind her. This was going to be very interesting. The small human looked rather frail. How was he going to survive the circus life if he managed to get through the audition? That was a very big if...

xxx Time Skip xxx

Well, the small one did it. It was no small miracle however. The human only did it with the help of the demon and a bunch of small pebbles. Eden was making an herbal salve to aid the painful welts that the boy no doubt had under his clothes. Speaking of clothes, the two outsiders had changed clothes and gotten some face paint to match their new circus personas. Black and Smile... well, the red-eyed man did wear a lot of black and when the child smiled, he did have quite the radiant smile. Discretely handing Black the salve with a nod at Smile, Eden left the tent. Oscar was still tucked into her warm cleavage. Snake had left to get something to eat and she was feeling a bit peckish herself.

She wandered into the mess tent and grabbed some soup made with fresh potatoes, parsely, and onions that she'd grown for them. During winter, it took her own energy to grow anything or move her plants so she needed to make sure she ate or she'd pass out. The forest child sat down next to Snake and plucked Oscar from her chest. "You should go get something to eat, Oscar. Winter is tough enough without food but since you and the others are not hibernating, you'll need your strength."

Oscar gave her a nod and brushed his tongue against her lips in a pseudo-kiss before slipping from her grasp and down her legs to the floor. He had developed an immunity to her kisses and had become a bit bolder as far as the affection went. At least he no longer fainted from pleasure.

"...are you okay, Snake? You seemed unhappy that Black and Smile were here."

The white-haired male didn't respond to that. He didn't have to. His body language said what he did not. Eden couldn't help but think of how cute he seemed. Her human was rather protective of her~. She finished her soup and stood up, taking her dishes. She gently leaned down and kissed his cheek. That got a reaction from him- wide yellow eyes, an adorable flush across his cheeks, and his cowlick seemed a little more up than usual. She gave him a happy smile before moving to the dishwater container and putting her dishes in.

First string people didn't cook or wash dishes. So she left to go into the woods, growing different plants with her seeds and taking parts that she needed. She felt the need to let loose some music but wasn't really in the mood to sing. She remembered when she was young that her father used to have a fiddle and would play the instrument that he had constructed with his own two hands. She was determined to make one as well, a violin to be exact. She had learned how to play the violin when she was little but had never made one herself. But that would change now that she had the will to make beautiful music for her plants. And if it worked the way she thought, the music would help her skills in utilizing her plants in winter. At any rate, it was worth a shot. The last thing she wanted was to use her abilities in the dead of winter to defend her human and the rest of the circus only to end up fainting and causing trouble for Snake. It was time to train.


End file.
